Monday, April 30, 2012

Couscous


On Saturday while we were grocery shopping my kid asked if we could “try this stuff” which was a couscous salad mix, package type deal.  I said sure since I love that this kid loves to try new things.    He liked it, I wasn’t too pleased with the taste and then, I guess I was allergic to something in the mix (I’m very sensitive to preservatives) and that was the end of it for me.  After having to stop at yet another grocery store yesterday to pick up veggies Kiddo asked if we could get more of “that stuff we had last night” so I picked up a big container of plain couscous.  I know how to make it, but I have no recipes to make it so it’s good, lol.

So... I'm off to research recipes... as I find a few recipes to try this week I’m also open to suggestions of any and all recipes y’all would like to share with me :)

I’ll share the recipes I make as I go along this week and I’m going to try and make an adaptation of a couscous salad that a restaurant that’s long gone in this neighborhood used to make while I’m at it.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

It can't be just me...

I know I have a few weird eating habits... doesn't everyone?

I'm sitting here at work eating my Chobani, and one of the ladies commented that I "eat my yogurt really weird" Uh.. okay.  Thanks for the input there lady.

I don't stir up my fruit on the bottom.  I save it for the end.  Is that really that odd?  It's something that I've done since I was little and my  kid has picked up that habit too.  Save the good stuff for the end.  I see absolutely nothing wrong with that.

I also like peanut butter and raspberry jam on my pancakes... that I know is a bit odd and the only other person I know who likes peanut butter on their pancakes is my cousin A's hubby.. she thinks it's crazy.  I see absolutely nothing wrong with it.
BTW, Apple cinnamon Chobani is Really, really good :)

Monday, April 16, 2012

Kale Chips

Sorry I've been MIA for a few days.. I'm down with a cold that's kicking my ass by leaving me with a horrid sore throat and the ability to barely taste anything.

To some of you this may be old news... pshaw, Kale Chips.

Well, I hadn't tried them before Saturday.  My kid isn't a huge kale fan so I don't usually buy it in big bunches and I cook enough for myself and spare him this one particular greenery and make salad for him instead.  But... yesterday when I went to the grocery store that I go to for veggies (yes, there is one particular grocery store that I go to for veggies, because they are the cheapest and the freshest) they had Kale for $.79/lb so I went and bought the biggest bunch I could find.

Now, most of the instructions for kale chips I saw were very simple and flat out.  OK. I mean, really... it's not rocket science.  But really, just oil and salt? Boring!   When I make sauteed kale I add minced fresh garlic, a bit of salt, red pepper flakes and a little of whatever else I fancy at the time.  So, in making my kale chips I did the same thing.


1 bunch kale, woody stems chopped off and torn into large bits.
1 Tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp granulated garlic

Preheat oven to 300°
cookie sheet covered in aluminum foil or parchment

In a large bowl add kale and olive oil, with your hands mix it up very well making sure all the kale is evenly coated with the oil.  Add the salt, pepper flakes and garlic.

Arrange kale on cookie sheet in a single layer and bake 10-15 minutes until crispy.

My kid who doesn't like kale.. Loved these! Score one for mom.





Going into the oven
Coming out of the oven

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms


OK, so technically these are an appetizer, but last night after all the food we ate on Sunday the kid and I were in the mood for a lighter dinner so we had these and a bowl of lentils each for dinner and it was perfect.

Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms

These are, in my opinion The best Stuffed mushrooms in the world!

Ingredients:
1 lb medium mushrooms
1/4 cup Finely chopped green onions
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp dried sage

2 Tbs. parsley
1/2 tsp. dried basil leaves
1/4 tsp. pepper

1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°f

Remove stems from mushrooms and chop finely (I just toss it all in the mini-prep and call it a day). Cook and stir mushroom stems, green onions and garlic in butter over medium heat until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat & stir in remaining ingredients.

Fill mushroom caps with stuffing mixture. Place mushrooms, stuffing side up, in greased baking dish.

Bake for 15 minutes, serve hot.

**Notes**
This makes a lot of filling and we had quite a bit leftover afterwards (which did not go to waste) But I think these would also be great with some crab mixed in or even as a meal if made with portobello mushrooms and a salad on the side.

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone.

It's a Beautiful day here in NY, I hope the weather is nice where you are today too.

Hope you all have a wonderful day spent with friends and family.

Lots of love,
 Ash~

Friday, April 6, 2012

Just a quiche

My grams made The Best quiche in the world.  Sadly I don't have her recipes to replicate them, but I am always on a search to find recipes that I remember and try to duplicate what she made.  I've come close, but never quite nailed it on the head with quiche.
Grams specialty was Quiche Lorraine, but today I'm going with something a little different.

Spinach Quiche.

Yummy and cheesy and full of spinach goodness this is what we had tonight for dinner :)



1  9-inch frozen pie crust
2 cups Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
2 Tbsp. flour
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
1 cup milk
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp. salt
Dash pepper


Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, place it in the oven and preheat to 375°F.

Stir the cheese with flour in medium bowl. Add remaining ingredients. Pour into crust.

Bake 1 hour or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.


**Notes**

You can add whatever kind of cheese you like to this, I made this again last night and used mozzarella and provolone cheese because that's what I had in the fridge.  I also added some sauteed mushrooms and onions to the mix.

Also, if you want a lighter quiche you can use either egg beaters or you can use 1 whole egg and egg whites for the rest.







Here's a slice of last nights quiche with mushroom added :)

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Ambrosia

I think everyone has their own idea of what ambrosia is.

My friend Racel makes hers Filipino style with condensed milk and fruit cocktail and lots and lots of coconut.

My version is pretty different than hers with the exception of the coconut, it's not ambrosia without the coconut.  That's a definite.

This is the ambrosia that I grew up on that my Grandma Mary made and it hadn't crossed my mind for a while until my cousin A. who is pregnant with baby #2 called and asked me for the recipe and, of course I obliged :)

This is all you need :)

I'm going to use approximate amounts here, because I never measure this, I just eyeball it since I've been making this since I was a kid.

Gram's Ambrosia

1 can mandarin oranges
1 8 oz bag shredded coconut
1 16 oz container fat free sour cream or plain yogurt
2 cups mini marshmallows

Drain Mandarin oranges

in a large bowl add mandarin oranges, coconut, sour cream and stir really well.  Fold in the marshmallows really well so they're completely covered, cover and let sit  in the fridge at least 4 hours or overnight until the marshmallows get really soft and squishy.

Serve topped with cherries or more oranges.



(I have all the ingredients for this on my shopping list.. I'll be making this tomorrow and will add pics.)

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Hey, is there an App for that?

About a month ago I jumped in and got myself an iPhone.  Kicking and screaming I succumbed to this phone for the main reason to have a better connection to a friend that I now have no connection to (go figure, this is my life after all)  I'm still learning this stupid phone, but I've been learning that it can help me out sometimes.

Apps.  I'm really new to this app stuff and my friend that is no longer my friend was supposed to be the one to teach me about all this stuff... but I got left having to figure it all out on my own.  Splendid.  I get by on my own just fine, but I was really counting on having some insider info from someone who was an iPhone aficionado. Que sera sera.. again, my life.

Just last week as I was reading through one of the many foodie magazines I get I came across a blurb for a menu planning app.  I figured to give it a try.  Food on the table is the app I chose.  it's.. Meh.  I'm not completely thrilled with it, but a lot of people like it.  I guess it just wasn't right for me.  Right now I'm using Grocery IQ for lists (gotta love the voice recognition here!) you can scan barcodes to add items to your list as well (which I think is freaking awesome!)

Epicurious is a great app for recipes on the go.  I have a tendency to print things at work and then leave them at work  either in the printer or on my desk and God forbid my printer at home actually worked.  Since I moved in July I can't get the damn thing to work right... eventually I'll get around to re installing the software and getting it to actually work while wired in to my computer and wirelessly for the kid and for the iPhone.

I like the convenience of being able to have my lists and recipes with me at all times and I'm still learning about these apps and all and Please if any of you have suggestions let me know :)

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

What the heck happened here?

Ever go through the list in your head of what's in the fridge/pantry/cabinets and think to your self "What the hell am I supposed to make with that?"

That was me yesterday.  I went grocery shopping on Saturday, I didn't have a list.

Bad, bad, bad.

I need a concrete list when I go shopping, I usually scour the weekly circular and get what's on sale that I want/need and then take my weekly meals from there.  My problem this week, I didn't do that.  I went to another grocery store altogether because I was out with the kid and my meal plan for the week went straight out the window.  I did my best to try to remember what I had wanted to get... I got tomatoes.  yeah, that's about it. *facepalm*  I got a pack of chicken breasts and pasta and... Ugh... crap.

My grocery budget is getting pinched again with milk almost $5/gallon again and meat being just ridiculous no matter what you want.  The Kid Loves cheese.  Loves all kinds of cheese and I feel bad I can't always get what he wants, but seriously Provolone was $8.99/lb!! and he can eat cheese like I can eat bread and down a whole chunk of cheese in a matter of hours.  My biggest pet peeve right now is I can't get everything I need at just one grocery store.  One has the best water and the tea that the kid drinks but their meat is extremely overpriced.  Another store has decent prices on meat, but everything else is through the roof, Yet another store has the best veggies, fresh and frozen at the best prices so I always have to shop around (and waste gas in the process... have I mentioned that I own an Old jeep with a V8 engine that's 4 wheel drive all the time?)

Wasting gas isn't really my thing... so I try to make my non crucial grocery stops on my way home from work once a week... but really, it's still a pain in the ass.  I want to be able to fill my fridge and be done with it in one fell swoop.  I have yet to have this happen though.  I do have a pantry, I keep it pretty well stocked with dry goods like Rice, lentils, pasta, canned tomatoes, beans and such and I'm trying to get more organized in this kitchen, keep things stocked that we use all the time.  Eventually I'll get the hang of it.  My last 2 apartments had such tiny kitchens that I'm not used to getting a lot at once and I find it difficult to break myself of this habit.

I did manage to concoct dinner with stewed tomatoes, rice, peppers and chicken.. and it was better than I thought it was gonna be and that was great.... Plus there were plenty of leftovers for kiddo to munch on when he got home from school today.